PESHAWAR: New rules have been introduced by the Peshawar administration for private taxis and transport. All private taxis must be registered now. They will all have standardized color schemes and uniforms.
The illegal transport services will be immediately closed the number of which is over 100. The banning of illegal transport services will improve passenger safety, reduce traffic congestion and reduce the climate impact of transport.
Riaz Khan Mahsud chaired the meeting in which these decisions were taken. He also heads the Regional Transport Authority. The public transport operations and traffic conditions were reviewed by the officials across the city.
According to the new directives, any taxi operating in Peshawar that is private in nature must register with the excise department. The taxis that will be registered will display QR-code stickers and a uniform color scheme. Legal action will be taken by authorities against unregistered vehicles, including confiscation and fines.
The 100 illegal transport operations that will be closed include speed stations and unauthorized rickshaws. The contractors who will be running these services will be facing arrests.
The authorities to control the traffic flow has also decided to close unnecessary U-turns. These include Kohat and Charsadda roads. They are also launching an operation against encroachments. BRT stations will also be relocated which are cuaisng congestion in open areas.
It was further decided in the meeting that joint teams will be formed of traffic police, assistant commissioners and transport officials to take action against illegal rickshaws, Qinggis and loaders operating along BRT corridor.
Lastly, restrictions have been imposed on trucks, tractor trolleys, and other freight vehicles. These restrictions will only be imposed on freight vehicles entering major city roads before 10:00 pm.
The regulatory agencies and law enforcement have also been directed by authorities to shift roadside check posts. This will ensure traffic moves smoothly by opening spaces.
Whether these decisions are positive will be seen once they are applied. This will help to reduce traffic but at the same time it will be threatening to the livelihoods of many drivers of rickshaws and qingqis. It will be interesting to see how the authorities deal with it.
